baitng method

I grew up baiting deer a lot, just how my dad and I were taught to do it. Didn't stop until it got banned in that county. Now I do it once in a great while where it's legal, although I think its usually easier to shoot a deer without it. If I do it, this what we always did: Bow hunting: Put it 20 yards from my tree. Make a bait corral with sticks and logs so that the deer can only stand broadside or quartering away from me in order to eat it. Nothing more annoying than a deer coming in and facing you while it eats, then walking back the same way it came not giving you a shot. Pick a tree with lots of cover. The reason I say its almost tougher to shoot a deer with bait is that they come in on full alert. They know its not natural so they are looking around a lot more. You will want to have good cover. Try to pick a spot that deer normally frequent as well, they'll find it quicker. You still have to scout contrary to popular belief. If you don't it won't be nearly as successful. If I'm using apples I'll rub one on a few trees in the area to let the scent travel further too. We used to sit just 12-15' up and shoot plenty of deer. You won't get away with as much movement as you would up higher though, but plenty doable for the guys who don't like to be really high. I sit higher now where I can, just helps with scent, etc. With a firearm I'd put it 50 yards out or so, give yourself more breathing room with them. You also cannot start baiting until I think the day before the season, so you can't start early for bow hunting, but gun would be ok if you were bow hunting prior. Not sure if you would need a bow license to bait more than 1 day prior to gun season, I would almost think so but don't quote me on that. Most of those guys with trail cam pics of deer eating bait prior to bow season are violating, they just don't know it.

I guess it's #3 of Theimer's post that stands out when it comes to fair chase. Before I hunted deer I was interested in marksmanship with my accurate air rifes. Internet air rifle sites were littered with guys bragging up how many small birds they killed shooting out their windows at any animal unlucky enough to show up at their feeders. Hunting grouse with the family got me out hoofing it thru the thick swamps spooking them out so my uncle and his elderly friends could get some shots off. Hunting can be hard work with scouting and stand set ups near some oak trees, just like Bowbuckman suggests, but baiting (legal or not) still seems too much like popping the hungry bird at a feeder.

I prefer to let the weekend warriors bait up a spot, then I cut the deer off, you know, find a staging area where they'll hang as they wait for it to get dark.

Top 5 reasons I believe baiting has a bad rap. #1 makes deer nocturnal . #2 it privatizes public hunting land. #3 it makes hunting to easy. Not far chase any more. #4 slob hunters who bait right off the road. #5 it changes deer routine or route. So you can no longer pattern them. I believe most of these are myths that people blame on baiting. For the how to tell how much bait is left I would just have to make an educated guess of how much is gone. I would have it in a 2 gallon bucket and just swing the bucket forward and stop it suddenly to spread it out in a little bigger area. If a warden sees that its not obviously over 2 gallons its not going to get there attention. If you see bait laying on the ground you can judge how much is there by looking at it. Now if you take a seed spreader and use that to spread it out. Then it might be tough to judge. Then if the warden wants to do something about it I think they will try to catch you in the act of over baiting.

step 1 - Fill plastic bucket with whatever amount of corn you think you can get away with. If you have a good job or your dad can afford the fines, I'd recommend as much corn as you can physically get into the woods. Step 2 - pick any spot at random and dump said bucket of corn on the ground. If it's public land, don't make any effort to learn if anyone else is in the area buecause it doesn't matter. Once you've dumped that bucket the whole section belongs to you and you alone. Step 3 - Spend plenty of time patrolling the area of your bait so nobody inadvertantly encroaches on your private section. When you catch someone, tell them "find somewhere else to hunt....I've been baiting that spot all fall and I don't want you messing me up" Step 4 - Repeat as often as possible...or better yet, hire some local unemployed flunky to do it for you. Step 5 - Sit in your stand opening weekend for no more than 10 hours total. If you get a deer great....brag to your buddies about how good of a hunter you are (they'll know the real truth however). If you don't get a deer, get on the phone with the SCI or HRC and threaten the DNR with a lawsuit for your lack of success. That about cover it?

I have to admit I really think baiting has changed hunting and not necessarily for the better but it can be one very effective method if done right. The system I use is for rifle hunting. 1. I do quite a bit of scouting over winter and spring to determine what kind of bucks are around through trail cameras and where they are bedding. 2.Once I have a idea where that buck may be bedded I wont be afraid to set up a bait so hopefully come gun hunting the wind will be blowing from the bait into his core area. Reason for this he can tell if there has been a hot doe bye the area or possibly the smell of another buck might get his attention to come and investigate.3.I put minerals in the area in spring and come the 20th september I am putting food out once a week. I will not have a trail camera on the bait or around the sight.4.When you start baiting at the end of september I will start any where from 2 to 4 scrapes within a hundred yards of the bait. I think the scrapes are very effective and the reason for this is because a huge majority of the bucks and does that come into the bait visit the scrapes wich in the long run is just increasing the reason for a mature buck to visit the area during daylight hours.5.My stand is always 100 to 150 yards from the bait and generally in a big spruce.6 Here is the kicker the stand should be at leat 35ft in the air in order to avoid the deer smelling you while you are on your all day sit because most likely if the wind is right for the buck to hit the bait it isnt for the hunter. If you can do this in a area that isnt overrun with baiters it is almost sick how effective it is. By the way I hunt on public land in the nicolet national forest somewhere. Hope this helps.

I do agree that spreading it out would be better. I was never quite sure how a warden would interpret it, like how could they tell that you have 2 gallons if it's spread out over a decent area? They'd have to almost pick it up and put it in a bucket. Then when you come back, how can you tell how much was eaten and how much to add? I think it's legal, just curious how a guy could prove how much is there if they needed to. Granted if its just spread out in a 5 or 6 foot area it would be easier than say a 20' area.

Here's my plan this year for gun season. It will be my first time baiting. I only get up where I gun hunt About 2 times before gun season. So each time I go I will throw out two gallons when I get up there and Sunday when I leave. If bait still is there I will only throw out enough bait to equal 2 gallons. I will spread the bait down my lane in the swamp I look in to from the ridge. It's about 70 yards from my stand. The bait I'm planning on using will be a mix of corn, apples, high protein pellet/supplement, and salt. If I was going to bait for a bow stand I would put it at 20 yards and spread it parallel to my stand. So hopefully it would make them browse for the bait and give you a broad side shot. Maybe spread it out on both sides of a tree. So when the deer head goes behind the tree you can draw back and shoot. I think spreading the bait out makes the deer feel more comfortable then a pile of bait. It's more natural. This is all based of my theories I made after talking to guys that bait in my hunting group and some experience helping other people bait.